First Methodist Church
First Methodist Church
St. Petersburg, FL
Designated U.S. National Register of Historic Places on 9/13/1990.
Built circa 1925, the First United Methodist Church is significant for its highly artistic, academically correct use of the Gothic Revival with a strong English Gothic influence. According to the City’s Florida Site File records less than ten buildings in St. Petersburg are designed in the style and seven of these are churches dating from 1887 to 1925.
Designed by James Baldwin, the Church is constructed of red brick which is laid in common bond. Cast concrete ornamentation is present on all facades.
All of the windows in the sanctuary are made of leaded stained glass, manufactured in 1926, by the George Hardy Payne Studios of Paterson, New Jersey. These windows are in the Tiffany style, which incorporates multiple layers of opalescent colored glass, often faceted, with the traditional painted and fired glass. The ten windows of the east and west walls of the sanctuary on the lower level depict major events in the life and passion of Christ. The large south wall window is a reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.”
The church’s lofty bell tower originally housed a ten-bell carillon, which has been increased to 15 bells. The original bells were bronze, cast by the Meneely Bell Company of Troy, New York, in 1926. The largest bell weighs 2,208 pounds. The basic tonality is the key of F, but an additional E-flat bell permits limited use of the key of B-flat. The original manual lever system was altered to an electronic keyboard in 1964.
Work Performed
Window Restoration 118
Chimney Restoration (Repoint masonry and Replace Brick)
What Our Clients Say
I have never hesitated to recommend their company; indeed, I frequently have done so and will continue to.
Stephen Michelini
Michelini Consulting
Your solution was so original that you received an Award of Merit for Preservation... Your repair and restoration work... has allowed me to brag that since 1915 our 100-year-old building has never been in better shape!
Susan Hill Pieper
Paulding County Carnegie Library
The owner, Mrs. Cassie Gardner is very professional and excellent to work with... She took the time to communicate the project status and... The project was completed by the due date and the project remained within budget.
Gwendolyn Myers
Greater Bethel M.B. Church, Inc. Trustee Chairman
I can personally attest positively to their bold of handling the efforts involved in attaining very positive results in our restoration process. I was very much pleased.
Samuel J. Hemingway
Liaison, Bethel AME Church
Entrusting our heirloom to All Trades has been a blessing for our community of faith. Without reservation we recommend their care for antiquities worth preserving for future generations.
The Rev. Roy Tuff, Rector
Good Shepherd Episcopal Church and School
The supervision and tradesmen
supplied by All Trades was some of the best I have ever worked
with and I would gladly recommend them on any historical
restoration project.
Terry Huntzicker
Lakeland Terrance Hotel
If ever we need any work on any of our buildings, we will make our first call to All Trades. We found Cassie Gardner to be most knowledgeable as to how to solve our problems. A very professional company.
Larry D. Clem
Property Manager, Church of the Ascension
We have been very pleased with the outcome of the project and we will continue to use All Trades for the next phases of our building restoration!
Jim Zinner and Cynthia Morselli
First United Methodist Church, Plant City
We are very impressed with the quality of work and proud of the finished product... The workers did not just do a “job” but, rather, were passionate about their work... We could not be more pleased...
Johnson County Commissioners
William Gabel, John Marr, Charles Kavanaugh
The latest project was a year-long restoration of our brick, mortar, and cast stone. This 97-year-old 60,000+ square foot building demands constant maintenance and the flexibility, knowledge, attention to detail and thoughtful project management that All Trades offers, along with Cassie’s incredible enthusiasm makes a sizable project seem to go smoothly and the building well cared for.
Craig Wills
Facilities Manager, First United Methodist Church
